David Kohl – USA TODAY Sports
The Houston Astros‘ stunned a healthy amount of people when they drafted Carlos Correa first overall in 2012. Mark Appel, who the Astros ended up with anyways, was the consensus first pick, with Correa sitting closer to seventh or eighth on the board. He was 18 at the time, so it was a high-risk, high-reward pick, as it always is taking someone that young.
Well, Correa has put all the naysayers to rest with his Minor League performances thus far.
The Astros aren’t going to rush the development of any of their prospects, they have far too many for such a step to be necessary. So Correa has been and will continue to be able to grow at his own pace. His pace has been scorching thus far.
2013 was a big year for Correa, as he played in the futures game and completed his first full season in the Astros system at Single-A club Quad-City River Bandits. Correa hit .320 with nine home runs and 86 RBIs. His plate discipline continues to develop, as he drew 58 walks as well. He has quickly risen to the top prospect in the Astros’ system.
But how close is he to making his mark on the MLB?
Depending on his 2014 development and the situation with the Astros’ clogged pipeline of products, his time may come sooner rather than later. He’ll likely start the season at Double-A Corpus Christi and bypass Advanced-A Lancaster Jethawks. From there, it’s all about getting acclimated quickly and rising to the occasion. He’s the top short stop in their minor league system with Jonathan Villar at the pro club, so Correa will have free reign over where he ends up. He could very easily break into Triple-A next year.
The Majors probably won’t come next year for Correa, but who knows. By time the 2014 season draws to a close, Correa may be the new George Springer — MLB-ready and waiting.
Follow Josh Sippie on Twitter, like him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
